The Government have banned smoking in all enclosed public places. Now, I don't smoke, and I never have. But I resent the fact that I am considered to be too mentally feeble to choose to frequent a non-smoking establishment (or a non-smoking section of an establishment) should I wish to do so. Now I am faced with the choice of accompanying friends outside into the cold night air if I wish to continue my conversation, instead of having a comfortable chat over coffee while they get their nicotine fix......of course, it is always possible that one or two of my friends might take up smoking in order to avoid the aforementioned conversation...
;-)
It strikes me as rather apposite that the first nation to ban smoking in public places was Germany, under the Nazis.
Isn't it interesting to reflect that the morning-after pill can be given to girls under sixteen (under the legal age for sexual intercourse) by school nurses, without any fear of reprisal, because the "mistake" has to be dealt with, and chastity education is unacceptable because it isn't realistic to expect young people not to break the law...
This dictatorial attitude has strayed into culinary matters. At Stonyhurst, pepper pots were very much in evidence. But no sign of salt. When the kitchen staff were asked for salt, they replied that they weren't allowed to provide salt: the school's healthy eating policy.Personally I'd have thought that the morning-after pill was far worse for a person than a pinch of salt over one's chips...
Anyway, next year I intend to bring my own salt. I expect to become remarkably popular at mealtimes!
Oh, the old smoking war.
ReplyDeleteNothing divides the people faster.
I am an ex-smoker.
I gave up that vile habit six years ago. My hair smells good, my clothes don't reek and my teeth are cleaner.
It is baloney that you can go into ANY place where smoking is allowed and not come out reeking.
Don't know how it is in the UK, but here, the NONSMOKING section is always in such a place that you have to walk through the smoking section to get to it. DERRRRRRR.
I don't frequent bars, but I know that cocktail waitresses get lung cancer. Christopher Reeves' wife Dana succumbed for just this reason.
Never smoked. Not ever.
Smoking is dangerous, and not just to the smoker.
To compare this to the state's garbage legislation allowing them to give a child something that is dangerous and none of their business is wrong. I know you Europeans love your fags, but come on!
Not EVERY piece of legislation involving public safety is indicative of a "nanny state."
Seatbelt legislation was decried as "big government." Now, no one even thinks about wearing one - it's natural. And thousands of people are alive because of them.
(Hand goes up - I hit a pole and flipped a car at age 21.)
Same with DUI legislation. It was vehemently opposed by many. It used to be NATURAL to drink a beer or six on your way home from work.
And when smoking became illegal on planes - well, my word, we were going to start seeing insane smokers going BONKERS for their nic fix. (Never happened.)
Soon, this will be as natural as not smoking in theaters. My daughter will hopefully be amused at the idea that people used to smoke. Where they ate!
I am SICK of seeing cigarette butts flying out the windows of cars. I am SICK of smelling smoke in my baby's hair.
Not one of my friends smokes. I know only a handful of people who do.
But if they interrupted our conversation to go outside in the blizzard to smoke, I'd not only NOT come with them, I'd stand at the window and point and laugh.
"Mind if I smoke?"
"Not at all. Mind if I fart?"
There is talk here about giving overweight children lap band surgery??!!!?? The 'nannying' of a nation is becoming insane!
ReplyDeleteAs for smoking, I dont smoke either but I used to get annoyed when smokers would blow their smoke right in my face! It happened often, so I am glad its been banned in most places.
We do need to watch though that politicians dont become the 'policeman of family life.'
Peace to you:)
Marie
It's all just plain weird!
ReplyDeleteNo SALT?! No S*A*L*T?! Lord, I thought it was bad enough when they went after the foxhunters in the class warfare thing. But SALT?! Now there coming for us ALL. "First they came for the hunters, but I was not a hunter ..... and lastly they came for me....."
ReplyDeleteKaren
But surely you remember what it was like before the smoking ban? I play darts, and it was awful, smoke filled pubs, going home with clothes smelling of smoke, it being on your hair and your skin. Having a sore throat from breathing the smoke in all night. It was horrible. Imagine the people who have to work in such environments, it must be such a pleasure for them now.
ReplyDeleteI'm not always a fan of the government 'nanny state' style laws, but the smoking ban is a definite plus.
We live in a strange world today. A drug to induce the mother to forcibly expel their child is all right to give a young girl, but salt is considered too poisonous to put on the table.
ReplyDeleteWe no longer have to fear that 'big brother' is watching us, instead we have to worry about our government 'mothering' us too. much.
My comment was so long, Mac, that I've cut it and will write it up as a post on my recently resurrected blog...
ReplyDeleteNo salt in Stoneyhurst, huh? On the up side, I don't suppose they do a roaring trade in morning-after pills either!
La Mamma - Stonyhurst is now a mixed school.
ReplyDeleteAs for the morning-after pill, I heard rumours... though not on the school grounds, you understand!
The smoking ban came in here in Ireland a few years ago; now, the sight of people smoking at the doors of pubs is conspicuous.
ReplyDeleteFrankly, I am delighted the smoking ban came in. I remember several years ago, before I got satellite TV, I would go down to my local pub to watch my favourite football team play. Then one night I literally had to leave the pub at half time because the cigarette smoke was just so bad.
Now, in Ireland you can only buy fags in packs of twenty. Packs of ten were made illegal about a year ago, because it meant that fags were within range of many kids' pocket money.
And I hereby declare that when I become Dictator of Ireland, one of my intentions is to extinguish all cigarettes - permanently!
It's mixed, is it? Well I never!
ReplyDeleteI suppose the time is ripe for putting salt on the list of 'must haves' for future Winter Session venues. Have a word with the powers that be... and then take your own anyway, just incase! My Dad always arrives here with a little packet of sugar in his luggage. It's years since he searched in vain for sugar in our home but he still won't take any chances!
The BMJ in their August 2000 decision have a study that concludes that the morning after pill is an indicator of willingness to engage in "risk-taking" behaviour. The whole reason of proscribing the pill in lowering abortions, is fallacious.
ReplyDeleteHowever I must admit that it is nice to come out a pub smelling of smoke, if I may say so ;-) I suppose this is where I am a liberal.